Tag: easter
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On Gaining the World and Losing Yourself
The Easter season is upon us, the liturgical part of the year when we reflect upon our own depravity and inability to be righteous or holy. In this season, leading up through good Friday and Black Saturday, we long for a savior to come free us from our sin, clothe us in His righteousness, and…
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Listening to Hypocrites
It is Fig Monday during Passion Week. Jesus’s rabbinic knowledge has been tested. He upheld Torah and proved wiser than the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees who exceeded Him in their religious status, formal education, and physical age. Jesus now turns to the crowds who have been watching His exchanges with the religious leaders of the…
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The Prophetic Vision of the Resurrection
In John 20, we read one account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. Peter walked into the tomb and saw only the linen shroud. He called John to see that Christ’s body was missing. John saw and believed. In 20:9, the narrative provides us an interesting detail. They, Peter and John, did…
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What and Why is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is the day on which Christ entered triumphant into Jerusalem as the rightful king ascending to David’s throne forever. In many ways, Palm Sunday is as significant as Resurrection Sunday because, on Palm Sunday, Jesus announced the work that would be accomplished in the resurrection. God created the earth in one week and…
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The Kingdom of Christ in Revelation
Imagine, if you can, that you live in the First Century AD. Rome is persecuting Christians. Idol and Emperor worship abounds. People all around use religion as license to gorge themselves on sex, food, and drink. Rome has built a culture of death. The Colosseum is an active place of entertaining bloodshed. Christians are being…
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Deceiving the SS
On Sunday, Jesus went into Jerusalem and tossed the tables in the outer courts of the temple. So far, on Monday, He has cursed a fig tree. Jesus is going back to the temple to continue His work. In today’s text, we see a dilemma often presented in Christian ethics. We are commanded not to…
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Cursed Trees and Cast Mountains
On Sunday, Jesus went into Jerusalem and cleansed the temple—tossing the tables of those who sold sacrifices and changed money, making the temple a market rather than a house of prayer for all nations. He spent the night in Bethany and now, Monday, travels back to Jerusalem. Matthew 21:18-22 Now in the morning, when He…
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It’s All About the Temple
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and her colt. He rides up to the temple and enters. The crowds called Him the son of David, the rightful heir to David’s throne. David is known for reforming the nation of Israel concerning her religious practices (cf. 1 Chronicles 15ff). Jesus, who fulfilled David’s typological reign,…
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The Triumph of Christ
To introduce Holy Week, Matthew made sure we saw Jesus’s loving compassion. Just like he saw and condescended to to two blind beggars (cf. 20:29-34), he condescended to all humanity in order to give Himself as a ransom for many (cf. 20:28). It turns out that Jesus’s interaction with the blind men was a picture…
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The Bread and Wine From Christ
Good Friday is the day each year we commemorate Christ’s crucifixion. There are many questions that fill our minds during this season. One of the most prominent is, “Why did Jesus have to die?” Couldn’t God have simply forgiven sin and gotten people into Heaven if that is what He wanted to do? The Bible…